MOBILE, Ala. – Three Jaguars scored in double figures, led by 22 points from Josh Ajayi, as No. 8 South Alabama got past No. 9 Arkansas State, 75-67, in the first round of the 2019 Sun Belt Men’s Basketball Championship, presented by First Bank and Trust.
Ajayi hit 8-of-10 from the free throw line and added nine rebounds.
Kory Holden added 20 points, while Trhae Mitchell had 13 points, 13 rebounds and eight blocks for South Alabama (16-16, 8-10 Sun Belt). Herb McGee added 12 points and six assists.
Ty Cockfield II had 21 points for the Red Wolves (13-19, 7-11). Grantham Gillard added 12 points and 10 rebounds. Marquis Eaton had 10 points and seven rebounds.
The No. 8 seed Jaguars improve to 16-16 overall and will play No. 5 seed Louisiana Thursday at 5 p.m. The No. 9 seed Red Wolves fall to 13-19.
After trailing for most of the contest, South Alabama scored seven unanswered points – four from junior Josh Ajayi and three from junior Trhae Mitchell – to take a one-point lead, then with the score tied at 47-47, went on a 10-2 run to go up 57-49.
Three 3-pointers over a 1:35 stretch put the Jags up 13 with 6:01 to play and the Red Wolves got no closer than eight the rest of the way.
GAME FACTS
- Arkansas State grabbed an early 9-2 lead and only briefly trailed in the first half before taking a 32-29 advantage into halftime.
- South Alabama tied the game on a triple from junior Herb McGee just 11 seconds after the resumption of play, but A-State countered with back-to-back treys from Ty Cockfield and Grantham Gillard to go back up six.
- Ajayi and graduate Kory Holden combined for five points before Gillard and Marquis Eaton answered with five of their own to go back up six with 16:05 to go in the game.
- The Jaguars made their move from there, as Mitchell nailed a triple at the 13:57 mark and Ajayi followed with a pair of free throws and a layup for seven consecutive points and a 44-43 lead.
- A jumper from Eaton and two free throws from Tristin Walley sandwiched a 3-pointer from McGee, and the two teams were tied at 47-47 with 10:44 to go.
- After Holden converted a 3-point play on the Jags' next trip down the floor, Walley countered with a layup, but senior Rodrick Sikes hit a triple and a fast-break dunk just 15 seconds apart, and Mitchell tacked on a layup of his own to cap off the 20-6 rally.
- Up six with less than eight minutes to go, McGee and Holden hit back-to-back treys, and after a bucket from Eaton, Sikes added another to give the Jaguars a 68-55 lead with 6:01 left in the contest.
- Ajayi posted a game-high 22 points and grabbed 9 rebounds, and Holden tallied 20 points on five 3-pointers.
- Mitchell just missed a triple-double with 13 points, a career-high-tying 13 rebounds, and 8 blocks; the 8 blocks are tied for third in school history and one shy of the record.
- Cockfield paced the Red Wolves with 21 points and four assists.
NOTES
- Tuesday was just the second time in since 2006-07 that the Jaguars won a Sun Belt Tournament game after splitting the regular-season series with an opponent; the team was 1-5 that scenario entering the game.
- South Alabama is 8-3 in home tournament games in its history, and 5-2 at the Mitchell Center.
- USA leads the series with A-State 2-1 in their Sun Belt Tournament history.
- South Alabama shot 60.0 percent from the floor in the second half for the second straight game and seventh time this season; the team is 6-1 this season when hitting that mark after halftime.
- Ajayi is averaging 24.0 points in his last two games.
- Mitchell has posted back-to-back double-doubles for the third time this season.
- Mitchell has come close to recording two triple-doubles this season; he had 11 points, 13 rebounds and 9 assists vs. Alabama A&M on Dec. 19.
- Mitchell had 4 assists to move into 16th at South Alabama with 227 in his career.